Arista Networks, a start-up offering 10 Gigabit Ethernet switches for large data centers and high performance computing environments, introduced its vEOS (virtualized Extensible Operating System), integrated networking software that peers with VMware vSphere 4 and manages the VMware vNetwork Distributed Switch to link physical and virtual machines to network policy and profiles. The software enables IT organizations to move workloads from physical servers to virtual machines and to cloud infrastructures while maintaining segmentation, trust boundaries, and policy control. 
Today's data centers are increasingly virtualized creating a management gap between physical and virtual networks. Arista said new VMware vSphere 4 capabilities, such as VMware Dynamic Resource Scheduler (DRS) and VMware Fault Tolerance, are enabling virtual machines to move from one host to another automatically. This demands an order-of-magnitude more capacity, lower latency and new network architectures.
VEOS, which runs on the Arista 7000 Family of Cloud Networking Switches and as a VMware virtual appliance, provides a network interface to the administrator for configuration and monitoring, without disrupting the virtualized infrastructure. vEOS, in concert with VMware vSphere 4, enables workloads to be mobile, preserving networking state and policy as virtual machines move around data centers and into the cloud.
vEOS also brings critical monitoring and troubleshooting capabilities to virtualized environments including HP Openview support, standard SNMP monitoring, VM auto-discovery, and fully integrated access control while integrating with VMware Fault Tolerance to provide true high availability for the vEOS virtual appliance.
"With vEOS, Arista and VMware customers will now be able to more easily manage their growing converged networking infrastructure and enable easier mobility of virtual machines," said Jayshree Ullal, president and CEO of Arista Networks. "Arista's vEOS is fully compatible and capable of co-existing with the VMware vSphere 4 vNetwork Distributed Switch while providing consistent administrative experience to both the network and virtualization operator."
Arista Networks is preparing to launch an open-beta of vEOS. Commercial release is expected in Q4.
http://www.aristanetworks.com
- In May 2009, Arista Networks, a start-up based in Menlo Park, California, introduced its high density 10GBASE-T switches in a 1U form factor. The Arista 7100T layer 2/3 switches include 24 and 48-port models. Each model offers auto-negotiating 1/10GBASE-T ports with standard RJ-45 connectors and SFP+ uplink ports. The Arista 7100T switches support 10GBASE-T over Category 6a cabling up to 100m, but also support Category 5e and Category 6 cabling with distances up to 55m. This allows for investment protection with existing cabling plants.
